Please consider supporting our Piano Renewal Initiative. If you have a high-quality piano in good condition that you are no longer using, or if you would like to purchase or contribute towards a new piano, please contact the Department of Music Office for more information regarding our specific needs.

Jessica Boykin-Settles is a native of Washington DC. She attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as a Vocal Music Major.

Upon graduating from high school, Jessica moved to New York City and studied jazz at The New School University. Upon her return to Washington, she enrolled in the graduate program in music at Howard University, earning a M.M. degree in Jazz Studies in 2006.

Ms Boykin-Settles first joined the Howard music faculty in 2006. She took a two-year professional break from Howard to pursue a full-time performing career, returning to teaching in the fall of 2014. She has also mentored DC youth through the Washington Jazz Arts Institute.